Bastards of utopia

Thanks to H-Alter, where I copied this…(and roughly translated it to “english”)

The film “Bastards of Utopia”. Short Synopsis: “Three Croatian activists struggle to change the world. As children, they lived through the violent collapse of Yugoslavia. But now, amid the aftershocks of socialism’s failure, they fight in their own way for a new leftism. In the middle of the struggle, a skeptical American is won over by their cause and even goes to jail with them. The activists, whether clashing with police or squatting in an old factory, risk everything to live their politics. But as the setbacks mount, will they give up the fight?”

People who rejected Utopia

Maple Rasza, author of the film “Bastards of utopia”:We chose to make a movie just about these three anarcho-activists, they more than others were willing to transform their lives based on ethical and political principles. I believe that there are deep political implications in the forms of antinationalist anti-stateist activism that we have shown in the film.

At this year’s ZagrebDox, its world premiere, “Bastards of Utopia,” a documentary that speaks about the unwanted children of Yugoslav socialism, about what is left as a pledge of a political future of systems of which no longer anyone speaks.

It was developed in co-production with Harvard Film Center and the ethnographic film workshop “en masse Films” which consists of the political documentarists Maple Rasza and Pacha Velez. The only documentary that deals with anarchism in this region, had its premiere within the the glamourous Kaptol trade center, in a rush and delay of projections, but still found a great support in the Zagreb audience. At the premiere Maple Rasza, American anthropologist and documentary filmmaker, a frequent guest on the Balkans and a well-known activist of the Croatian scene, presented the fruit of the years he spent in Zagreb, nineties and beyond, this documentary presents a close-up of anarchist activists in Zagreb, at the same time it is interested, warm and funny and above all shows a personal view of anarchism and activism in this area. Who are these Bastards, how do they see themselves and how does this American anthropologist perceive recent social history of the region, we discussed with Maple Rasza.

Bastards

You were aware of Croatia continuously for twenty years. What changes do you perceive today – in the city, people, politics and activist scene?

Every year I come to the region, the first time it was from 1990-1991. When I came to Jagodina, town in central Serbia, in the high school exchange program. I still have to bite the tongue when people ask me in Croatia, where I learned that good Croatian. In Zagreb I came regularly since 1996. when I was on a Fullbright scholarship. You can imagine how everyone was happy with my ‘Croatian’ when I came to the bakery and asked for bread. Since then, tremendous changes occurred and I do not really know how to summarize them briefly – and I will comment on the dynamics of politics in Croatia concerning the anarchist scene – and which I think reveals the dimension of these major changes.

The years in the mid-nineties were, as they were once called by Vesna Jankovic, “years of vanguard” which opened the way for an ambivalent process of normalization. When I just started to participate in progressive politics, in anti-war campaigns and in the ArkZine, there was a focus on civil society, even among those who described themselves as anarchists. It then made sense because the concept of civil society then meant emphasizing civil militarnog for independence from the state during the reign of the HDZ’s one-party system, this concept has also meant the category of citizenship in relation to ethnicity – which is particularly important because it is to form a government on the tenets of the Croatian ethnic domination.

The universal appeal of this concept began to decline around the beginning of this decade, particularly around initiatives Enough wars that opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq. For the younger generation of activists with whom I worked, civil society has lost its glamour and glory, because the political circumstances changed, and civil society organizations have been transformed. Many radical activists, especially the anarchists began to ask: how civil society is independent from the state if it receives funding from the state or from USAID? Is it enough to protest in a polite and civilan way while at the same time illegal invasion of Iraq, killing tens of thousands? Is citizenship such a progressive concept if becomes the basis on which denies the basic right to even have any right, eg in the case of asylum seekers in Croatia?

Universal attraction of the concept of civil society began to decline beginning of this decade, particularly around initiatives Enough of wars. For the younger generation of activists, civil society has lost its shine and glory because the political circumstances changed, and civil society organizations were transformed

More fundamentally, although civil society was important in attracting attention and alarm over human rights violations committed by the state in the nineties, whether it is actually capable of adequately address the growing social inequalities produced by global market? So I think that the activists of various orientations began to experiment with new approaches, new forms of self-organization and autonomy are not necessarily consistent with the model of non-governmental organizations.

It took seven years filming the documentary, which you have presented now at Zagreb Dox. When turned the idea from your field work into a film?

I have already had experience with documentaries, and actually I was looking for a new project. During my fieldwork I have worked with activist groups completely different orientations, not only with her militant part of the anarcho-punk scene that has become the center of “Bastards”. We chose to make a movie just about that scene and just about these three activists, because they are more than others that I met were willing to transform their daily lives based on ethical and political principles. Pacha – I worked with film – and I both are interested in ethnography and documentary viewing, and it is these characters were our most attractive.

Where did the name of Bastards of Utopia come from and what does it mean? What is the relationship between the characters of the film towards the socialist past, and that with the possible political future?

In the narrative of the film, the title is explained: “A few months ago I heard the phrase which Dado used, Bastardi utopia. At that time, I thought he was joking when he says that he and his activist friends were children that Yugoslav socialism never wanted.” But maybe its just the crux of the matter – that these activists, as opposed to the Socialists rejected the idea of some future utopia. Instead, they are experimenting with new ways of social relationships with people here and now. As soon as I heard, I was drawn to this phrase, since the mid-nineties I worked within a theoretical ArkZine supplement, called the Bastard, also, it relates well with the anarcho-punk aesthetic gathered around the club Attack. I would not be surprised if I heard the band name Bastards of Utopia playing there at that time.

The serious and the theoretical level, I believe that there are deep political implications in the forms of antinationalist and anti-stateist activism that we presented in the film, which is opposed by most of the political practice and theory that has always focused on state power.

In addition to the three characters who carry the film – Jelena, Dado, Fistra – you appear as one of the characters and an active participant in events. How does this affect the narrative approach and the film itself? Also, it is almost completely lacking a critical approach in relation to the events. Basically it is a direct participation without detachment?

Although civil society was important in attracting attention and alarm over human rights violations committed by the state in the nineties, the question is whether it is able to adequately address the growing social inequalities produced by global markets

The film is a field study, and this is an aspect that is really specific to me as an anthropologist. Since it was the practice in cultural anthropology, I lived and worked with people that I studied – on a daily basis, trying to understand social life as he lived by our subjects. My task is to produce in-depth reviews of social life from which the audience or readers can learn. And that we, hopefully, succeed.

Anarcho-activist scene of Zagreb is shown through a number of events – except for planning actions, squatting, demonstrations in Greece, there are completely “private” situations (Dado with Hrelić, Jelena with Grandma). By what criteria were events selected to be shown, as to form the narrative of the film?

Yes, the documentary includes many scenes of which usually we think as private, personal, less public and less political. But the private is political, as we have learned from feminism. First of all, we want to work with Bastardi against known media images of masked anarchists who threw Molotov cocktails, to show that such a dramatic confrontation with the police, only one of the tactics in the spectrum which includes a daily form of activism that are also important, if not more. These anarchists causing contemporary capitalism may be the crucial area of its expansion – and this is an area of our desires, the area of production of ourselves as consumers and political entities. They are working on creating new desires, new hopes and new subjects that are not dominant mold citizen-consumers. So the narrative, which follows their personal and political development looks of this struggle, following the activists in their growing maturity, but the maturity that does not diminish their devotion to social change.

How to show action and different models of the world, how to – by your opinion – Zagreb anarchists rely on a global model, and how many belong to this area of post-socialism?

On the one hand, it is a transnational scene with style, tactics and methods of organizing borrowed from around the world. As becomes clear in the film, these activists have participated in protests and movements throughout Europe and beyond. Immediately, they are part of a global network. But they are also responsive to local conditions, local relations of power and local traditions of resistance, adjusting the global movement specifically Croatian issues. One thing that I like in their activism – how they physically engage the urban landscape around them is also talking about the transition to capitalism in Zagreb, Croatia. In places they are squatting, on which to socialize, how to feed, dress and live – quickly getting a picture of how much and how life has changed in so few years. So this is actually a Croatian story, even if it has global significance.

These activists have participated in protests and movements throughout Europe and beyond. Immediately, a part of the global network, but they also respond to local conditions.

You follow the recent events in the region – primarily I refer to the imprisonment of the Belgrade anarchists accused of international terrorism and initiatives in Croatia with completely different agendas, such as the gentrification of the city? Do you see any continuity, for the Bastards of Utopia?

In Croatia and the region only during the last years, there are several significant events that I have followed with great interest and which intersect with the film and research.

First, in Greece during the winter of 2008-2009. erupted mass anarchy and rebellion, which was engulfed within every major city in the country. These Greek anarchists were shown in our documentary, we accompanied Zagreb activists in the anti-EU protests in 2003 in Thessaloniki.

Second, the student blocks in Croatia and the region – which had a significant role as “hero” of our film – took over many of the most important anarchist methods and principles, including consensus decision-making, non-hierarchical organization and strong criticism of neoliberalism.

Thirdly, Belgrade Six is closely associated with the scene in Zagreb, Dado, also one of the main characters in this film, was arrested several weeks ago for supporting the accused anarchists in Belgrade.

Even the “right to the city” campaign, which is rooted in civil scene more than the previous examples, it also confronts the fundamental issues regarding the future of the city, much like the anarchists squatting, outstanding issues – particularly those focused on the defense of privatization of public space, as shown in “Bastards”. The struggle for control of urban space, its resistance to narrowing in the interest of private profit and consumerist culture, to the detriment of the public, joint and collective use – will be the central theme of political life in Zagreb in the forthcoming period.

All of them are, in my opinion, Bastards of utopia, but I doubt that very term to be widely accepted.

What are the reactions to the film? How are you satisfied with Croatian reception of the film and do you think the film is equally understandable to those who do not belong to the scene and are confronted with the events, as well as for audiences in other parts of the world? Who is actually the film intended for? I ask this because of the partial confusion of the audience in Zagreb – that part which has nothing to do with the story of activist and specific approach used in the film.

Struggle for control of urban space, its resistance to narrowing in the interest of private profit and consumerist culture, and to the detriment of the public, collective and joint use – will be the central theme of political life in Zagreb in the forthcoming period

So far, the Croatian film experienced a very good media coverage and enthusiastic audience during the premiere. There is no place, or festival, where I’d rather have the movie premiere than at ZagrebDox, together with all those who have actually done my research and made possible the film. In this sense I am very pleased. Most of the reactions that I experienced were very encouraging, but I’m sure there were negative comments. “Bastards” offers critical and even controversial vision of social transformation in Croatia from the perspective of radical activists. I would be surprised if not disappointed, if it would not provoke a variety of reactions. We worked very hard to produce a movie that is open to a wider audience while at the same time remains very close to the experience of living and working with this scene. The film starts from a position that we need to re-invent the radical politics that have to be confronted with the conditions in which we are now.

Further distribution? Why the film is not online?

At the moment we apply to a lot of festivals and we are very excited about the “Bastards” publicity. Will be distributed in Europe and America. However, some of the best festivals do not accept films that already have broad public display, especially those that are available online, so it will wait a couple of months.

What are the future plans in research and behind a camera? The progress of your work with the Slovenian activists?

I started working with a Slovenian activists on a new project on the politics of citizenship in Slovenia. Observe a series of conflicts that surround the inclusion and exclusion policy – from the ethnic definition of the state, ten-year battle for refugee status of Bosnian war victims, asylum seekers, Bosnian import seasonal workers – but we will focus specifically on the case of “deleted”.

We plan to do research and a documentary about the permanent loss of some 18 000 people who have lived in Slovenia, mostly from other Yugoslav republics. Unlike previous works oriented towards civil society, we examine this problem from the perspective of modern European movement for the rights of migrants. I worked several years with the Slovenian activists, including “deleted”, and most of them associated with European or global struggles of migrants.

news from nowhere

24/5/11___ CRNI KREČ radio, tonight on hate speech coming from the tops of religious communities talking to youth in religion classes, a look on reality in BiH; interview with PASI; DIY punk ... crni krec (tuesdays from 7pm) recommended!
12/4/11___ today i listened to crni krec (tuesdays from 7pm) recommended!
02/3/11___ Zoran Trklja (procedura/ poems+...)+background noise+ZRIKaVCI (Grillentrash), both from Belgrade will appear in concert in Schnorrstr.23, Dachboden on Thursday 17.3.11 8pm
7/10/1/11 ___ Lately i have been reading a book about the eastern german punk legend Schleimkeim and somehow i cant resist, even though they are not really comparable, but comparable in terms of tragic death and general tragedy and provincial anarchism, so here it is: Schleimkeim and Satan Panonski about Money...
http://www.archive.org/download/badmaps13/08.Dm.mp3wir sind die herrscher und ihr seid die sklaven der d-mark, hi hi, gott hab sie selig...sowie Geldschein sein Geldschein sein...http://www.archive.org/download/badmaps14/SchleimKeim-NichtsGewonnenNichtsVerlorenvol.2lp-08-Geldschein.mp3
4/1/11 ___ someone from a fanzine asked me to write something about satan panonski but i dont feel so qualifiedededed zonic and a song by The boxhamsters, prost neujaur jr.http://www.archive.org/download/badmaps10/06.prostNeujahrJr..mp3
12/10/10 ___ report from Belgrade Pride Parade in automatic translation quality and a song by The Apostles, one of the first english queer anarcho-punks "Those who live by the Sword, will die by the Sword..."http://www.archive.org/download/badmaps0F/11-TheSword.mp3
13/07/10 ___ new publication, 'Anti-fascism and direct action' documentation from last QUEER BEOGRAD festival, held September 2008 in Belgrade.
30/06/10 ___ Crni KreČ, weekly radio show from Banja Luka (Hc,Punk&diy politics) Tuesdays 19:00 to 20:00 h pm
26/06/10 ___ zea, new singer of my beloved THE EX, is having a gig in KC rex, beograd (4th july), THE EX themselves also playing but in Llubljana and that might be to far away (on july 17th), The Ex & Zea concerts
24/06/10 ___ Legendary festival in Pula, Monteparadiso, the 18th, 5th to 7th August 2010. From my tape Unutrašnja emigracija will participate.
20/06/10 ___ Punčke are looking for gigs in germany for their tour in august. Help needed, if you can help send me an e-mail.Look at gig dates and plans..
31/05/10 ___ report from claws of saurtopia, second noise festival in zoro (leipzig) read review here.
14/05/10 ___ Bastards of Utopia, a new film about young people into anarchist activism in Zagreb from an ethnographic perspective, Interview with film-maker Maple Rasza. Sounded interesting to me.
08/05/10 ___ there will be a benefit party at Schnorrstr.23 (dachboden) on may 22nd, 8pm: ja hier
27/04/10 ___ there was a conference on jewish subculture and punk and its iconography at halle university: I was there...
31/03/10 ___ on saturday is a benefit in ludwigstr. 37 in halle for six serbian activists, who are in danger of being charged very heavily for a slight damage done by unknown protestors to the greek embassy in belgrade in september 2009. Saturday, 3rd April, Ludwigstr. 37 (Halle).
23/03/10 ___ starting friday 26th of march there will be another anarchist book fair in zagreb see what happens, also some thoughts about subculture and literature inspired by another book fair..
11/03/10 ___ some new...records
02/03/10 ___ there are two bands from beograd playing in leipzig soon, jaibo! (quite close to early us-hc-trashers like flag of democracy or bad brains) and let's grow (more like rkl) in zoro on tuesday 16th march, 10pm...
13/02/10 ___ Thousands of people gathered in Dresden Saturday to block for the first time an annual neo-Nazi march commemorating the Allied bombing of the German city during World War II. The neo-Nazis gathered outside the Neustadt railway station to mark the anniversary of devastating bombing raids, and were to stage a “funeral march” after listening to a series of speeches but more than 15,000 counter-protestors blocked the rally. see documenting summary.
26/01/10 ___ here is a zine that is also in english, on eastern european punk, based in brno (cz) and i like it drunk nach osten zine...
25/01/10 ___ i had some plans to visit "a je to" festival but failed due to coldness and difficulties to leave my dog somewhere. i found a new webzine "Burevestnik" on d.i.y., punk, activism based in belgrade, go there...
11/01/10 ___ Third festival of anarcho-punk in Sarajevo (A) je to 3 read programme
03/01/10 ___ large amounts of snow fell down on me today, while I was drinking a coffee in my garden. I noticed the barrel i use for receiving rain was completely frozen. I turned it upside down and out came an identical copy of the barrel, just ice. While I later gathered around the oven i noticed an interesting interview: Intervju with Iluzije Slobode fanzin (translation) in , helly cherry web zine.
26/12/09 ___ Also worth risking an ear: U Krugu Dvojice, which is broadcast every thursday from 7pm to 9pm on NRBG. Authors are Boris Vlastelica from Repetitor and Bojan Slačala from Belgrade band Stuttgart Online. listen to NRBG...
23/12/09 ___ I have just been listening to
Dežurni Kvirci on NRBG (web radio from Beograd). Dežurni Kvirci is broadcast every wednesday from 9pm to 11pm and i liked it though i dont understand any of the language. it sees itself as a gay straight alliance that looks on queer politics, pop culture, gossip and nicotine crisis and promises fun for the whole family... this week was funny garage rock that sounded like it came from stranger than paradise by j. jarmusch... listen to NRBG...
22/11/09 ___ Don Vito in China Read their tour diary
13/10/09 ___ this is linking to a m3u-radio-feature illustrating my history of 80s tape compilations blank tape radio hope it works (after opening player wait 10 seconds)...
10/10/09 ___ bernays propaganda from skopje played yesterday in leizig (zoro), it was great and i have their record "happiness machines" now, which is one of the best records i lately got (with lyrics in english and a booklet about civilisation and violence) i will hopefully review more extensively soon look where they play and buy their record.
06/10/09 ___ i was asked to transform the compilation into a radio broadcast on Radio Net1zen but i seem to be lazy...
06/10/09 ___ on thursday (october 8th) a great band from belgium is playing in beograd: Rene Biname at klub zica. i saw them in leipzig, trust me.
01/09/09 ___ next week (4.9.09) there is a celebration in our rehearsal room (garage, corner holbeinst./oeserst./leipzig) bands "rind" and "fat tony" will play and you are invited!
31/08/09 ___ if anyone of the bands included needs help with getting away from stupid myspace towards better solutions without advertisement terror, i could recomment wordpress and www.archive.org (as host for mp3s), if help is needed send me email...
10/08/09 ___ As there were some visitors from Beograd recently in my garden plot, there is hope now for some of the tapes to travel in their luggage to Beograd. Anyone interested in getting one, should send me an e-mail. (for the bands and writers included off cause for free)
02/08/09 ___ there was a great gig of one of the legends of fun punk in the place where the idea for visionerski transport was created from mud and beer: fliehende stürme in plathe.
15/07/09 ___ visit in skela revisited
23/06/09 ___ last weekend 'claws of saurtopia' festival took place in leipzig (zoro), mostly "math-core" noise bands, bands who play 23 times one chord, then make a break of 5 seconds length and then play another chord, but highly recommendable. also some electronic noise engineers mistreated their laptops. hope will happen again next year, then perhaps with bands from other countries than france, belgium, netherlands? (ex-yu?). claws of saurtopia on myspace
16/06/09 ___ chronological description of our journey on a raft along Sava
12/05/09 ___ look at layout version of zine (difficult to read)
07/05/09 ___ collected silence listen!
04/05/09 ___ Sombor (by Ana GreySheep from profit from poison zine) calling
04/05/09 ___ Eine Geschichte aus zusammengelegten Karten (Nora Wicke) (a story from cards laid out in rows)
04/05/09 ___ Blank tape - short history of the tape compilation here.
25/03/09 ___ Gas ist Spass - poem by Lena read ...
25/03/09 ___ 667 dinars - a poem by zoran trklija. read here. The author lives in Belgrade and writes also for blogs procedura and hrana.
24/03/09 ___ sunset for an old man - a story by vladan maksimovic. read here. The author lives in Panchevo and plays in the featured band endorfin.
23/03/09 ___ Satan Panonski was one of the most difficult legends of yugoslavian punk. more on his life read here.
07/02/09 ___Bernays Propaganda will leave Skopje for tour of europe starting march 6th concert with cut self not in belgrade, dont miss it
..29th of march they play in leipzig (zoro).. don vito (noise band from leipzig) are looking for gig dates in zagreb, belgrade, skopje, bukarest, plovdiv for their tour in june...
20/01/09 ___(A) je to festival in Sarajevo.
Second "(A) je to" (means "(A) it is") festival of anarcho-punk and subculture took place from january 15th to 17th in Sarajevo cinemas Bosna and 1. maj. It was opened with public actions a la food not bombs. There was presentation and discussion about film on the attacked queer festival in september, workshops, presentation of subcultural media/distibutions and concerts with bands Rapa Nui, Unutrašnja emigracija, Genetička kontrola and Hoću? Neću! On saturday played Život piše drame, Fek, Motherpig and Dislike. The festival was organised the second year by Anarhopank savez BiH.
report (English translation)
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